Major Movie Review: Major surprise

MajorDir Sashi Kiran TikkaCast Adivi Sesh Saiee Manjrekar Sobhita DhulapalaRating 35By 2022 it does appear that Mumbairsquos coordinated terror attacks of Nov 26 2008 2611 has been covered in pop culture mdash feature films series docs books mdash from all lenses and angles Outside of the terroristsrsquo but of courseThis movie Major is a biopic of the top instructorlevel commando from Indiarsquos elite National Security Guards NSG Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan that the film is named afterWatch VideoNow 2611 through the perspective of NSG alone has already been painstakingly serialised in the relatively underrated show State of Siege Zee5Likewise all that went on inside Mumbairsquos Hotel Taj Mahal Palace one of the locations of the multiple attacks and where Major Unnikrishnan was leading the combing operation is wholly the subject of the Dev Patel starrer Hotel Mumbai 2018Is Major majorly different from other moviesseries on the subject Yes Because it is foremost about a young Bangalore boy who grew up wishing to joinserve the forces Which is perceived in most societies as a noble thing to do mdash despite the personal sacrifices and potential risks involved The Major of this movie also got hit on both counts And he had a life before he had noneMuch like Shershaah 2021 which should have been a theatrical release mdash the biopic of Captain Vikram Batra killed in Kargil War mdash Major ends up humanising 2611 more than most other works on the subject Because primarily it is focused on the frontman With a hero to singularly followThis can be an apprehension for an audience like me since the film is originally in Telugu simultaneously shot in Hindi And outside of Rajamouli blockbusters and Pushpa of course my idea of mainstream Telugu cinema essentially comes from their superhits remade in Hindi starring the likes of Salman KhanThey take heroism to such extremes that they end up wiping off the existence of all other aspects for a more wholesome film mdash altogether alienating audiences seeking more subtlety instead And this is a plain genre movie Based on true events Surely some of the hesitation is justifiedEarly portions of the pic do seem a lirsquol amateurishly haphazard on occasion including continuity errors if you will What eventually matters is how it comes together by the end of it Already itrsquos not a film with the scale and privilege of the inspirational masterpiece Lakshya 2002 that was blessed for instance with full access to the Indian Military Academy DehradunAnd yet the exhilarating stunts mortal combat sequences and pyrotechnics appear as authentic as they get Director Sashi Kiran Tikka knows a thing or two about withholding and revealing surprises for an action thrillerThere is a fairly fullfrontal approach to the formula elements as well Just a set of some relatively unlikely faces for a Hindi film from a town separate from Bombay alone lends all of this a touch of fresh love that for me is hard to explainAt the centre of the screen is of course the lead actor plus the filmrsquos screenwriter Adivi Sesh I watched Major at a preview screening predominantly surrounded by a Telugu speaking audience who were totally familiar with Seshrsquos onscreen stardom revelling in every moment of it This kinda collective high in a theatre is unbeatable as an experience to begin withWhat I was watching in Sesh as Major Unnikrishnan though is simply a lsquofindrsquo of sorts mdash so thorough with his physical training equally adept at his acting skills for the giant stage as it wereOpposite him is young Saiee Manjrekar as the Majorrsquos loveinterest Displaying such flair for a fairly complex role you realise how badly she was ruined in her debut in Dabanng 3Actors Prakash Raj Revathi play the Majorrsquos parents in ways that you can instantly relate to the warmth that caring desi midclass parents radiate for their young ones Sobhita Dhulipala shines just as much in a relatively fleeting part of a guest stuck inside the TajHerersquos the reason for the lsquorole callrsquo above Sesh is from Hyderabad Manjrekar from Mumbai Raj belongs to Bengaluru Revathi is from Cochin known even better for her Tamil films Dhulipala is originally from Visakhapatnam but very much a MumbaikarTheir film is in Telugu and Hindi This is not some invasion from the South Itrsquos just Indian cinema pure and simple The event theyrsquore creatively responding to mdash while it took place in Bombay mdash was very much a national if not a global tragedyWhere a bunch of brainwashed blokes sent over by the deepstate from across the border held Indiarsquos financial capital to ransom The only possible falsestep or trap as it were is to indulge in onscreen jingoistic bloodlust as a result This film does none of thatIt recreates 2611 with just enough creative liberties to remain believable still It moves you with a fine measure of empathy and patriotism Sure wersquove seen read heard enough about 2611 This is only a solid addition to the list Glad I caught it for sure

Major Movie Review: Major surprise

Major
Dir: Sashi Kiran Tikka
Cast: Adivi Sesh, Saiee Manjrekar, Sobhita Dhulapala
Rating: 3/5

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Home / Entertainment / Bollywood News / Article / Major Movie Review: Major surprise

Major Movie Review: Major surprise

MajorDir: Sashi Kiran TikkaCast: Adivi Sesh, Saiee Manjrekar, Sobhita DhulapalaRating: 3/5

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Latest Photos

Latest Videos

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Mid-Day Fast

Major
Dir: Sashi Kiran Tikka
Cast: Adivi Sesh, Saiee Manjrekar, Sobhita Dhulapala
Rating: 3/5